Geelani census salvo: Write Indian-held against nationality column

Alleging India wanted to change demographics of Jammu and Kashmir by “tampering census 2010-11and turn the state into a Hindu-majority city”, hardline All Partied Hurriyat Conference (APHC) chief Sayeed Ali Shah Geelani, for the first time ever, has asked Muslims of the state to participate in the enumeration process and get registered.

“We will launch a mass programme to educate people on census and ask them to ensure their registration…A process is on to show Muslims numerically on lower side and change Hindu:Muslim ratio of the state,” alleged Geelani.

The census process in the state will start from May 15. The hardline septuagenarian leader has asked people to write Indian-held Kashmir against the column of nationality in the census forum.

“We should not shy away from asserting our identity. We have to reject Indian identity, which has been imposed on us by force,” said Geelani, who arrived in Kashmir from New Delhi just two days ago after second eye surgery in the last four months.

Rejecting Hindi as an official language of the state, Geelani asked Jammu Muslims to write first language as Kashmiri and state language as Urdu only.

The APHC is planning to launch a campaign in favour of census in Kashmir.

“Non-state subjects are being allowed to buy land in Jammu and non-Muslims are being asked to shift to Muslim-dominated areas in Kashmir, this all smells of bigger design on the part of India,” alleged Geelani.

This is for the first time that separatists, across the political and ideological divide, are asking people to participate in the census process. Recently, JKLF chief Yasin Malik also asked people to take part in the enumeration process.

“In the past, we boycotted the census process and it was a collective decision…but now out of the sense of responsibility we are asking people to participate,” said Geelani, adding there is no co-relation between the census report and the resolution of the Kashmir issue.

The ailing leader said he doesn’t think any census process in the state was fair. “Neither I have any hope that this time it will be,” he added.

The hardline leader also objected to the inclusion of non-state officials in the census operations. “It is a deliberate conspiracy aimed at damaging the population record. Why have they chosen people from outside to perform the census operations here. We have more than 4.5 lakh government employees and they should be assigned the job. This will also make things easy for the authorities”.

Geelani alleged the aim of turning Jammu and Kashmir into a Hindu majority state has been conceived by the RSS and BJP and the Congress witnesses all this as a mute spectator. “Congress has always been a collaborator in BJP’s scheming against Jammu and Kashmir,” alleged Geelani.